


after

by HeartonFire



Series: let me kiss your lips so i know how it felt [4]
Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Short & Sweet, Surprise Kissing, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27584554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartonFire/pseuds/HeartonFire
Summary: An unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it.
Relationships: Frank Castle/Karen Page
Series: let me kiss your lips so i know how it felt [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014792
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	after

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by [carry-the-sky](https://carry-the-sky.tumblr.com) from [this prompt list](https://heartonfirewrites.tumblr.com/post/634505813224996864/50-types-of-kisses-writing-prompts).

Karen prides herself on anticipating the unexpected. Years of orbiting vigilantes, even while she was unaware that that was what she was doing, have made her especially aware of subtle changes in the atmosphere around her, those almost imperceptible cues that something is different.

But this, she never saw coming.

She was sure that she’d never see Frank again, after the hospital. She’d pushed too hard, asked for too much. She wasn’t sure that was true, but it certainly felt that way, when she was walking out of the building, barefoot and heartbroken.

She wondered for weeks what might have happened if that girl hadn’t interrupted them. She knew what she wanted to happen, but with Frank, for all that he threw those same words at her, he could be so stubborn. He was especially stubborn when it came to her, and she knew better than to get her hopes up.

Karen tried to get on with her life, tried not to scan the papers and the police reports for mentions of the violence and mayhem that could only mean Frank was at work. She mostly succeeded, mostly didn’t think about him or all the possibilities, if he’d just said yes, just let her in.

But he didn’t, he wouldn’t, and there’s no changing that. 

It just makes it all the more startling when there’s suddenly a knock on her door late one evening. Karen pauses, sure she’s imagining it, before the knock comes again, thudding through the wood and sending her heartbeat racing in her chest.

“Coming!” she calls, shifting a pile of papers off her lap and straightening her skirt before padding to the door in bare feet.

Peeking through the peephole, Karen’s heart leaps at the sight of him, dark and brooding, on the other side of her door. She throws the door open and Frank takes a step back, eyes darting over Karen’s face, like he’s trying to read her reaction. It’s almost like he’s trying to decide if he’s made a mistake.

Karen isn’t sure what to say. She’s imagined this moment, thought about what she’d say, how she could convince him to be with her, but now, every thought flies out of her head. Frank is here. He’s whole. He’s healed, if the lack of bruises and cuts on his face can be believed. He’s looking at her like he isn’t quite sure what to do either, and that comforts her in some small way.

Before she can even form words, Frank moves closer, close enough to touch. One of his hands reaches out to graze along her jaw, his palm rough and warm against her skin. Karen’s eyes drift closed, all of her focus drawn to the sensation of Frank’s touch.

The touch of his lips to hers feels inevitable, and somehow it still surprises her, straightening her spine and sending shocks over her entire body.

As much as she’s wanted this, she never thought it would happen. She never thought they’d have another chance. 

When they break the kiss, Karen feels adrift, grounded only by the feeling of Frank’s fingers against her cheek. Her eyes open again, locking with Frank’s. He’s still looking at her like he does, like he can see straight through all the walls and facades she tries to build, right down to the core of who she is. But this time, she can see him, too. Away from the violence and the pain, just the man she always knew he was.

Karen shivers, and Frank eases her closer again. Karen doesn’t fight it. It feels impossible to resist.

She doesn’t want to resist. She never did.


End file.
